Kevin Pietersen Took A Dig At ECB After Ben Stokes’ ODI Retirement

Over 10 years after taking retirement from the limited-format of cricket, Kevin Pietersen has taken the internet by storm by revealing what led to his untimely departure from the cricketing scene in England.

Well, Kevin Pietersen’s revelation came after England’s star all-rounder Ben Stokes announced his decision to retire from the ODI format of the game, citing that he could not give his 100 percent to the ODI format because of the hectic schedule.

Ben Stokes Announced His Retirement From ODI

Ben Stokes, who recently made a comeback after a major finger injury that he suffered during the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, led England to a series win against New Zealand. Under his captaincy, the England cricket team also managed to draw the five-match Test series, which began in 2021, originally under the captaincy of Joe Root.

In a sudden move, Ben Stokes took to his social media and announced the big decision. He stated that he is taking retirement from the ODI format in order to focus on red-ball cricket.

In his statement, Stokes also revealed that on Tuesday against South Africa will be his last game in the 50-over format. He wrote:

“I will play my last game for England in ODI cricket on Tuesday in Durham. I have decided to retire from this format. This has been an incredibly tough decision to make. I have loved every minute of playing with my mates for England. We have had an incredible journey on the way,”

He added: “As hard as a decision as this was to come to, it’s not as hard dealing with the fact I can’t give my teammates 100 per cent of myself in this format anymore. The England shirt deserves nothing less from anyone who wears it,”

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A post shared by Ben Stokes (@stokesy)

Kevin Pietersen Took A Dig At ECB

Meanwhile, a day after the big announcement, Kevin Pietersen took to his social media and took a dig at England Cricket Board. In his Tweet, KP revealed how ECB ‘banned’ him from playing T20 cricket after he retired from ODIs citing the ‘horrendous’ schedule. He wrote:

“I once said the schedule was horrendous and I couldn’t cope, so I retired from ODI cricket & the ECB banned me from T20s too………….”

Check out the Tweet:

I once said the schedule was horrendous and I couldn’t cope, so I retired from ODI cricket & the ECB banned me from T20s too………….
— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) July 19, 2022